Boom, boom......

The convoy commanded by Panzer Meyer advanced on a road through the Tuhora Forest, with 8-wheeled heavy armored vehicles in front, Meyer's 6-wheeled heavy armored vehicles behind, and half-tracked personnel carriers following in the rear. Meyer's body was half exposed, holding a telescope and looking around.

A roar like rolling thunder came from behind him—it was Polish artillery bombarding several junctions across the border.

The Polish troops guarding the Tuhora Forest seem to have crossed directly from the battlefields of the First World War, and all the styles of play are World War I-style.

For example, they did not deploy heavy troops in the forest, and in the opinion of Panzer Meyer, the commanders of the Poles were completely devoid of common sense in the era of mechanized warfare. If they had deployed dozens of 37mm guns in the forest, it would have taken the 3rd Panzer Division at least a few days to break through.

However, the Poles only deployed small detachments armed with machine guns and mortars in the forest. How can such a unit deal with an armored division? It's just nonsense!

And even more foolishly, the Poles were shooting behind the ass of the armored reconnaissance company of Meyer.

Meyer thought to himself: "The Polish commander must have known that there was a German armored force crossing the border, so he wanted to bombard it with artillery, but did not know where the target was (the surprise of the armored forces was too fast, and the traditional artillery reaction was too slow). So I could only bombard the intersection indiscriminately...... But now the air is full of Ju.87 and Hs-123 with bombs, and the artillery that is firing has nowhere to hide, and will soon be blown to pieces. ”

"Click......"

The sound of the Poles' WZ30 heavy machine guns rang out again, and the convoy stopped moving. Meyer lifted his binoculars and looked at where the gunshots rang out.

It was a small village, just off the road, and like several Polish strongholds previously breached by Panmoured Meyer's company, it had been bombarded and littered with ruins. However, the artillery bombardment certainly did not completely wipe out the Polish troops stationed there, and they were still putting up a pointless stubborn resistance, and he vaguely saw a continuous burst of muzzle flames from behind a broken earthen wall.

"Map."

Gunner Gustav. Schwarzenegger hurriedly handed a map to Meyer, who quickly found the village on the map - it was the target codenamed "A26".

"Call for artillery support, target A26." Armored Meyer gave the order to the operator in the car, then picked up the intercom and said loudly: "Our cannon is about to fire, cars 2, 3, 4, and 5 are back in the line, and the other vehicles remain still." ”

At this time, the roar of the aircraft motor came from the sky, and the armored Meyer looked up into the sky and saw dozens of Ju.87 dive bombers flying across the sky and heading east.

They were supposed to destroy the Polish artillery positions that had been exposed by the firing!

……

The command of the commander of the Polish Primorsky Army, Major General Přetemirsky, was now transferred to a fortified basement. Because German planes had attacked the headquarters 45 minutes earlier, blowing up dozens of cars, two warehouses stocked with supplies, and two surrounding roads into potholes. It also bombed an airfield of the 4th Fighter Regiment in nearby Toruń into ruins, and dozens of PZL planes were blown up on the airfield before they could take off......

In addition, the indiscriminate bombardment of the Germans also interrupted the communications between the army headquarters and the divisions and brigades below, and it took nearly an hour to restore them.

"General, the 9th, 15th, 27th Divisions and the Eastern Tactical Group all reported heavy bombardment and shelling, and all artillery units suffered heavy losses......"

The chief of staff of the army group, Colonel Grotsky, pinched the copy of the telegram he had just received, and cold sweat broke out on his forehead as he reported the losses. However, the commander of the army group, Major General Pzhetemirsky, was quite calm and listened with a blank face.

"General, the Primorsky Civil Defense Brigade and the 15th Infantry Division also reported that the German tanks were passing through the Tuhora Forest, and they were advancing at a rapid pace."

"Tanks? The tanks of the Germans were passing through the Tuhora Forest? Major General Přezemirsky muttered, "The main direction of attack of the Germans is the Tuhora Forest?" ”

"General, the 9th Infantry Division of the Southern Front also reported the discovery of enemy tanks and infantry." The chief of staff of the Primorsky Army, Colonel Grotsky, said, "There is the junction of our army and the Poznan army." As soon as it is broken through, there is a risk that our army group will be surrounded by the enemy. ”

As he spoke, Colonel Grotsky couldn't help but sigh. The Primorsky Army Group was placed in a very dangerous position - between the German mainland and East Prussia, with the main German forces in Pomerania in front and the German forces in East Prussia behind. As soon as the German forces in Pomerania broke through the defenses of the 9th Infantry Division and crossed the Brachy River (east of the Tuhora Forest, where the second line of defense of the Polish army was located), then it was possible that the entire Primorsky Army Group would have 5 infantry divisions, 1 cavalry brigade and 2 civil defense brigades surrounded by the Germans.

"Alright then, the Coastal Cavalry Brigade will not move for the time being." Major General Přemyrsky said, "Tell Major General Pzhyakovsky that you must defend firmly, not waver in the slightest, and hold out on the front line of the Tuhora Forest for at least one week." ”

When this major general of the Primorsky Army gave this order, of course, he would not have imagined that his 15th Infantry Division and the Primorsky Civil Defense Brigade were facing the powerful German 19th Panzer Army! This is a formidable armored assault force with 2 armoured divisions (3rd Panzer Division and 10th Panzer Division), and as many as 711 tanks alone (belonging to 27 companies, of which 55 are No. 3 tanks, 36 No. 4 tanks, and the rest are No. 2 and 38t tanks) - a force that the entire Primorsky Army cannot fight!

……

"Your Excellency, General." Admiral Kesselring, commander-in-chief of the Luftwaffe and commander of the Eastern Air Force, saw that Admiral Hersmann had entered his operational command room, where both the Eastern Air Force Command and the Eastern Front headquarters were located in the Stettin Naval Fortress, and immediately put down what he was doing and saluted.

"How's it going?" Hersman had arrived on time, and it was 7 a.m. on September 1, 1939, two hours and 15 minutes after the war had begun.

In the First World War, this was not enough time to prepare for artillery - artillery preparation for a battle usually lasted several days.

But in World War II, when mechanization reigned supreme, 2 hours and 15 minutes sometimes decided fate, because the results of the first wave of air raids were largely out.

As for the reports of the army groups on the front, it will take another hour or two before they reach the headquarters. Thus Hersmann could only inquire about the air and navy during this time - but the German Baltic Fleet was now blockading the port of Danzig and had nothing to report.

The historical shelling of the Polish base by the training ship "Schleswig-Holstein" did not take place because of Hersmann's opposition.

"We flew 1,998 aircraft and bombed all known front-line airfields, front-line artillery positions, transport hubs and command centers, as well as troop concentrations. The enemy's losses were very heavy, and the specific data are still being analyzed (analysis photos). The losses of our side are very light, so far, 26 aircraft have not returned, and another 38 aircraft have been damaged to varying degrees. ”

According to later statistics, more than 600 Polish aircraft were blown up on the ground during the first wave of air strikes or shot down in air battles. The German losses were only 24 crashed, 41 damaged, and 40 pilots killed, missing, and captured. It's a big win!

"When will the second wave of air strikes begin?" Hersman asked. He is not worried about the attack on the ground now, because the factor that determines whether the ground attack goes well or not is in the sky.

"Preparations are underway, and it will be launched in 1 hour at most." Kesselring reported that "in addition, all Ju.87 and Hs-123, as well as artillery reconnaissance aircraft, are now assigned to the various army groups." ”

It is impossible to fight a blitzkrieg without air supremacy, and after achieving absolute air superiority, with the current ground attack capability of the Luftwaffe, the Polish army will have difficulty even moving during the day. One could only watch as the two German army groups (North and South) launched a pincer offensive.

If all goes well, by tomorrow morning, several armored corps (19th, 22nd, 15th, 16th, 8th, etc.) with sharp knives should have broken through dozens of kilometers and rushed behind the front-line troops of the Polish army.

……

On September 1, 1939, at 7:45 a.m., three hours after the outbreak of the war, Panted Meyer's company, the vanguard of the 3rd Panzer Division, had rushed to the edge of the Tuhora Forest.

Most of the half-tracks and three eight-wheeled armored vehicles were left behind in the three villages behind him, which were the forward strongholds of the Polish army and were used to cover the main line of defense. The Poles set up their first main line of defense east of the forest, with the Brasch River in their backs.

"Attention, pay attention to the search for the target directly ahead! If something is found, fire is immediately fired. Panmoured Meyer took the intercom and ordered loudly. It's already close to the enemy's main line of defense, so be careful.

"Tent tent!" As soon as Meyer's order was given, he heard the sound of 20mm guns firing, and he knew that the armored vehicles in front of him were firing. "Car No. 2! Max! What happened? Are you firing? ”

"Tanks! Discover the tanks of Poland! The answer of Commander Max, the commander of car No. 2, came from the headset, "It's TKS tanks, at least 10, no, it's 15, and there are a lot of cavalry, and we seem to have encountered the enemy's main force......" (To be continued. )